National Football Leaguehttp://www.adweek.com/taxonomy/term/8815/all
en5 Ways Marketers Need to Rethink Their Approach to Sports Partnershipshttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/5-tools-you-need-update-your-sports-marketing-playbook-165686
Greg D'Alba<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/voice-dalba-01-2015.jpg"> <p>
<!--[CDATA[<p--></p>
<p>
Sports are inherently nostalgic. We all share memories of that game-winning play or agonizing defeat. These moments never leave us. They become a part of our lives.</p>
<div class="news-article-image" style="margin: 15px 0px 15px 15px; float: right;">
<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/2015_Jul/voice-greg-dalba-01-2015.jpg" />
<p class="caption">
Greg D&#39;Alba&nbsp;<span class="meta-credit">Illustration: Alex Fine</span></p>
</div>
<p>
With this emotional power as a backdrop&mdash;and in a world where interruptive campaigns are losing to invited content&mdash;sporting events have an advantage. They play an influential role in shaping our beliefs and values at an early age, and activating against them helps form the ultimate emotional connections with consumers.</p>
<p>
The best sports marketers help create those connections. From Red Bull&#39;s transformation into a media company to (our client) Visa&#39;s 27-plus years supporting Olympians through stories that pack an emotional punch, the brands that win enable unique experiences and provide access to content that stands out from the norm and is social by design.</p>
<p>
Unfortunately, too many of today&#39;s sports marketers remain content with traditional tactics. Chasing quantifiable metrics, we follow the formula of classic sponsorships and media that is priced by CPM. We endorse programmatic buying as the answer to our desire for greater efficiencies. But in the midst of all this data and targeting-enabled technology, we still don&#39;t know which 50 percent of our marketing spend is wasted. The safe route isn&#39;t getting us where we need to be.</p>
<p>
In today&#39;s shifting media landscape, broadcasters are paying a premium for the rights to live sporting events, on-demand content rules, and sports that didn&#39;t exist six years ago (eSports) are now being watched by 27 million people and counting each year. We have to find unique ways to win on this new playing field.</p>
<p>
So how do we get there? Today every agency offers strategic thinking, develops creative ideas and claims to have integrated digital capabilities. But these offerings aren&#39;t enough. We have to help brands better understand the world around them, become clear on their reason for being and focus on establishing ownable platforms that deliver real value.</p>
<p>
For example, financial services company USAA launched an ongoing NFL partnership called Salute to Service in 2011 to celebrate the military community USAA serves. With the help of IMG, Salute to Service has become a culturally relevant program that includes in-arena fan activations, on-field recognition ceremonies and player visits to military bases. USAA gets to play a credible role in the sports world with no national media buy. Members of the military gain better access to a sport they love and fans appreciate an integration that gives back.</p>
<p>
To achieve shifts like these, we have to start answering the following questions:</p>
<p>
<em>Culture shapes content</em>:<em> </em>What is happening right now that informs our consumers&#39; perspectives and preferences? What is missing and where should it be shared?</p>
<p>
<em>Content creates community: </em>How can we accrue and consistently engage a group of like-minded followers?</p>
<p>
<em>Community engages in conversation:</em> How are we enabling discussion and sharing?</p>
<p>
<em>Conversation influences commerce:</em> How can we guide discussion to influence purchase or preference decisions?</p>
<p>
Once you&#39;ve identified the narrative, you have to consider its delivery. Technology has now turned passive spectators into active participants. Take what Snapchat is doing with its Live Stories feature that collects snaps at marquee sporting events&mdash;from college football games to the World Cup&mdash;and grants insider access to millions of fans who can&#39;t be there in person.</p>
<p>
So is there still power in appointment viewing? Yes, but brands now have the chance to engage with fans before, during and after those few hours by delivering original content, creating discussions across social and seeking feedback at every step.</p>
<p>
With all this in mind, consider these playbook updates:</p>
<p>
<em>1. Partnership vs. sponsorship:</em><strong> </strong>Value the client enough to help them create something they can own&mdash;something only attributable to them.</p>
<p>
<em>2. Own vs. rent:</em><strong> </strong>Never rent awareness, but rather create programs that can scale.</p>
<p>
<em>3. Agency diversification:</em> Eliminate the middleman by working directly with creators of culture.</p>
<p>
<em>4. Smart data drives big emotion:</em> Smart data is the new creative and when unlocked can strengthen a brand&#39;s connection to its audience like never before.</p>
<p>
<em>5. Live (adj.) vs. live (verb):</em> Live events begin with the brand and end with the fan, but we should start with the fan and build the event with and for them.</p>
<p>
We&#39;ve never had as many tools at our disposal to help brands create an emotional tether with sports fans.</p>
<p>
Now go use them.</p>
<p>
<em>This story first appeared in the July 6 issue of Adweek magazine. <a href="https://subscribe.adweek.com/sub/?p=ADW&amp;f=sale&amp;s=IA1501PA06" target="_blank">Click here to subscribe.</a></em></p>
<p>
<em>Greg D&#39;Alba (<a href="https://twitter.com/gregdalba" target="_blank">@GregDAlba</a>) is president of global partnerships at WME | IMG and a juror for the second annual Clio Sports Awards.</em></p>
Advertising & BrandingCLIO AwardsClio SportsesportsGreg D'AlbaMagazine ContentGreg D'AlbaRed BullSnapchatSports MarketingVisaVoiceWME | IMGMon, 06 Jul 2015 02:53:39 +0000165686 at http://www.adweek.comWhy United Way Is Taking the Leap and Hiring Its First CMOhttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/why-united-way-taking-leap-and-hiring-its-first-cmo-165472
Lauren Johnson<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/vicki-lins-01-2015.jpg"> <p>
<img alt="" src="/files/uploads/SPACER-652.gif" style="width: 10px; height: 1px;" /><br />
<u><strong>Specs</strong></u><br />
<strong>Current gig</strong> Evp, global CMO at United Way Worldwide<br />
<strong>Previous gig</strong> Evp and CMO at Clear Channel Outdoor<br />
<strong>Twitter </strong><a href="https://twitter.com/vickilins" target="_blank">@VickiLins</a><br />
<strong>Age</strong> 51</p>
<p>
<strong>Adweek: How has digital changed the act of giving to United Way?</strong><br />
Vicki Lins:&nbsp;We&#39;ve moved into a space where we accept bitcoin. We&#39;re also doing text-to-give and crowdsourced programs. We&#39;re looking at partnering with our corporate partners for this upcoming campaign season in ways that will enable digital giving and make the corporate partnership shift from what started as a paper-heavy framework into a digital space. We&#39;re developing a digital TV series where we&#39;re going to focus on community, growth and people who are making a big difference in the world.<br />
<br />
<strong>You are United Way&#39;s first CMO. What attracted you to the position? </strong><br />
It&#39;s the first time that the organization has shifted its focus toward marketing as opposed to strictly branding. We&#39;re the world&#39;s largest, privately funded nonprofit, and we deliver global scale in local communities.<br />
<br />
<strong>Millennials are going to be key in driving your growth going forward. How are you targeting that generation?</strong><br />
The millennial generation is really eager to change the world, but one of the things they want is an outlet. Digital is incredibly important to us. Mobile giving and mobile connectivity are really important. That&#39;s a very different model than what the employee campaign within a corporate structure looks like.<br />
<br />
<strong>What other opportunities are you looking at? </strong><br />
We have a 40-year partnership with the NFL. In its heyday, it carried a lot of media weight with it. A lot of people say that they heard about United Way because of the NFL. But as the technology, media, sports and philanthropy landscapes changed, you don&#39;t have all of that media weight going against any one partner anymore. Our work with [the NFL] has largely been behind the scenes&mdash;we&#39;re now exploring [how to] leverage the work that the NFL and United Way have been doing together all along and put it out into the public forum in a more meaningful way.<br />
<br />
<strong>What&#39;s the biggest challenge in shifting United Way toward a b-to-c organization? </strong><br />
At our core, we really are a collective-impact organization&mdash;we&#39;re not a single-issue organization. If you give a dollar to your local food pantry, that&#39;s a wonderful thing, and you&#39;re going to feed someone. If you give that dollar to United Way, we may give part of it to the local food pantry, but we&#39;re working to create a longer-term, more sustainable change in the community to address hunger. One of the big challenges for United Way is that we&#39;ve been viewed as the pass-through organization that collects funds, gives it out to other organizations [but] doesn&#39;t really add value.<br />
<br />
<strong>You&#39;ve also worked for Comcast and Clear Channel. What from the world of media can you apply to the client side? </strong><br />
Marketing is a complement to the core media business. For other more consumer-driven businesses, marketing is an imperative business driver. I&#39;ve already found ways to partner with my former colleagues. United Way was just part of Red Nose Day that aired on NBCUniversal.</p>
Advertising & BrandingBitcoinCMOfirst moverMagazine ContentMillennialsLauren JohnsonUnited WayVicki LinsMon, 22 Jun 2015 23:32:19 +0000165472 at http://www.adweek.comESPN Deportes Says Live Sports Coverage Is the Key to Reaching Hispanicshttp://www.adweek.com/news/television/espn-deportes-says-live-sports-coverage-key-reaching-hispanics-164736
Brian Flood<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/2015_May/espn-deportes-upfront-hed-2015.jpg"> <p>
Hispanics love sports and watch them live. That is the takeaway from ESPN Deportes&#39; annual upfront presentation on the 44th floor of the famed Hearst Tower in New York City this morning.</p>
<p>
Ed Erhardt, ESPN president of global marketing and sales, kicked things off by mentioning that 98 percent of all ESPN Deportes viewing is done live so &quot;you know people are watching the advertising.&quot;</p>
<p>
A day ago<a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/television/espn-announces-2-new-morning-hours-sportscenter-and-more-30-30-164706" target="_blank">&nbsp;at the ESPN upfront</a>, Erhardt said, &quot;Impressions are the currency of our industry.&quot; Well, today he elaborated.</p>
<p>
&quot;When we think about an impression and what it means, we&#39;re also trying to think about &#39;how do we make the business a little less complicated?&#39; So we can spend more time on creating great advertising and marketing ideas that will drive your business,&quot; Erhardt said. &quot;We spend a lot of time arguing about the currency, as opposed to thinking about it from an impression-based point of view.&quot;</p>
<p>
John Fitzgerald, vp of multimedia ad sales, explained that 87 percent of U.S. Hispanics are sports fans, a statistic that comes from a 2014 poll conducted by the network. And sports fans are passionate about live events, something ESPN Deportes offers a lot of.</p>
<p>
The network airs more live events than any other Spanish-language sports network, beating its closest competitor by 18 percent last year. ESPN Deportes looks to increase that margin in 2016 with a lineup including MLB, Monday Night Football, NFL Wildcard, NBA Finals, College Football Playoff, UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, UEFA Europa League, La Liga&#39;s Copa del Rey Final and Supercopa, European FIFA World Cup qualifying matches and the 2016 UEFA European Championship.</p>
<p>
&quot;We serve it, our fans and your consumers consume it&mdash;at that moment,&quot; Fitzgerald said. He added that technology makes sports a better investment for advertisers because fans can watch live events anywhere. The company&#39;s streaming app, Watch ESPN, has grown more than 400 percent in the past year, while the audio streaming app has grown 72 percent.</p>
<p>
Spanish soccer star David Villa and on-air talent Hugo Sanchez, Alejandro Moreno, Toni Collins, Alfredo Lomeli and Ernesto Jerez took the stage to discuss various programs.</p>
<p>
The network also introduced Quick Hits, a new short-form video collection curated by fan favorites. The digital videos promise to give brands opportunities to connect with fans through integrated content. The first five Quick Hits series are:</p>
<ul>
<li>
SportsCenter Ahora: Highlights of the most important plays of the day.</li>
<li>
Pitazo Final: Soccer analysis from ESPN Deportes&#39; experts.</li>
<li>
ESPiaNdo: A roundup of the day in American sports.</li>
<li>
Instaviral: Highlighting trends in the sports world.</li>
<li>
One Nacion: Toni Collins and Alfredo Lomeli explore the latest hot button topics relevant to the bicultural, bilingual audience. It will be presented in a mix of both languages.</li>
</ul>
<p>
ESPN Deportes said it will soon launch on Sling TV as part of the &quot;Deportes Extra&quot; add-on package. And a new state-of-the art studio in Mexico City will be ready by the end of 2015.</p>
TelevisionEspnESPN DeportesHispanicsMlbNational Football LeagueBrian FloodUEFAUpfrontUpfrontWed, 13 May 2015 18:25:59 +0000164736 at http://www.adweek.comJ.J. Watt Creates Immediate Buzz for Reebok With a DIY Videohttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/jj-watt-creates-immediate-buzz-reebok-diy-video-164054
Christopher Heine<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/jj-watt-hed-2015.jpg"> <p>
J.J. Watt, the Houston Texan and NFL defensive player of the year, has signed an agreement with Reebok to make the shoes he&#39;ll wear on the field. What&#39;s interesting is Reebok doesn&#39;t have the right to place its logo on an NFL gridiron, so Watt will perform this fall in, for all intents and purposes, an unbranded football cleat.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
Reebok&#39;s parent company, <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/adidas-hiring-72andsunny-ends-180s-long-tenure-brand-163413" target="_blank">Adidas</a>, has a deal with the NFL that allows endorsers to wear its logo on the field, but Reebok does not. While terms of the Watts-Reebok deal were not disclosed, it appears the brand is already getting a good bang for its buck.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
On Monday, Watt announced the partnership on social media in fairly dramatic fashion, with an impressive video of him breaking his personal record in the box jump. As seen in the video below, he jumped atop a 5-foot, 1-inch box using Reebok&#39;s ZPump Fusion training sneakers.</p>
<p>
And then he plugged the shoe after achieving the feat. It hardly could have been scripted better. The vertically formatted clip was essentially homemade, shot with a smartphone.</p>
<p>
At press time, nearly 152,000 people had watched the 30-second video on YouTube, and the clip exploded on Facebook with 2 million views.</p>
<p>
Check it out:</p>
<p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H1KZqEglkaE" width="652"></iframe></p>
Advertising & BrandingTechnologyAdidasJ.J. WattNational Football LeagueNflChristopher HeineSportsSports MarketingMon, 13 Apr 2015 21:36:22 +0000164054 at http://www.adweek.comSnappyTV Powers Twitter's Video Strategy for Everything From March Madness to the Presidenthttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/snappytv-powers-twitters-video-strategy-everything-march-madness-president-163544
Garett Sloane<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/uploads/obama-white-house-snappytv-hed-2015.jpg"> <p>
If you see clips of buzzer-beaters from <a href="http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2015/03/10/Media/March-Madness.aspx" target="_blank">Turner Sports properties</a> in your Twitter feed after the March Madness tips off tomorrow, you can thank SnappyTV for the excitement. Such moments will underscore how Twitter is leveraging Snappy TV to increase its media influence with video.</p>
<p>
For instance, even the Commander in Chief uses SnappyTV. <a href="http://www.adweek.com/lostremote/for-sotu-coverage-broadcasters-will-integrate-the-twitter-acquired-snappy-tv/49764" target="_blank">The White House was quick to post</a> snippets of President Barack Obama&#39;s State of the Union address thanks to the technology that is lending immediacy to video&mdash;much like the platform initially enabled the media to post texts and photos quickly.</p>
<p>
Twitter is <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/here-s-twitters-video-strategy-hook-brands-sxsw-163328" target="_blank">competing in a video free-for-all</a> with its social media rivals Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat and other Web companies. The competition is about giving the highest-quality content producers the easiest tools to upload their videos, attract consumers and sell ads, of course.</p>
<p>
So buying SnappyTV last year was an important step for Twitter, which has to organize a whole variety of video formats and links to play effortlessly in the stream users see. We chatted with Glenn Brown, head of content and partnerships at Twitter, about his company&#39;s multimedia strategy.</p>
<p>
&quot;Snappy&#39;s role is to make it easier, generally speaking, for content producers, rights-holders, TV broadcast networks and sports leagues to digitize clips and share the video with users,&quot; Brown said.</p>
<p>
Snappy can capture any sort of live feed, he said.</p>
<p>
Twitter also owns Vine, for six-second clips from Web celebrities and brands. This year, Twitter released its first native video to record directly to the app. It also hosts links to sites like YouTube and Vimeo.</p>
<p>
SnappyTV is integral to its Amplify ad program, which splits revenue with content producers who sell ads against their videos. This is what lets the National Football League sell sponsorships for millions of dollars to brands that get to show an ad before the league shows a highlight.</p>
<p>
The immediate aspect of the Amplify program is a natural fit for Twitter, which has long billed itself as the go-to second screen for live TV. It&#39;s a position Facebook is looking to overtake, and that social network has even launched similar programs to lure the media companies and brands.</p>
<p>
Amplify has crafted more than 100 partnerships with sponsorship deals, according to Twitter. The National Basketball Association uses SnappyTV to post every play refs review during the season.</p>
<p>
&quot;We are plugging in the offline world of video into the online world as fast as possible,&quot; Brown said.</p>
<p>
Here are some key moments from SnappyTV that show it is a growing force in social video:</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
President Obama to <a href="https://twitter.com/BethanyMota">@BethanyMota</a> on why you should care about politics. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/YouTubeAsksObama?src=hash">#YouTubeAsksObama</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BetterPolitics?src=hash">#BetterPolitics</a> <a href="http://t.co/35dxf22rhw">http://t.co/35dxf22rhw</a></p>
&mdash; The White House (@WhiteHouse) <a href="https://twitter.com/WhiteHouse/status/558401913205436416">January 22, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
Llamas on the loose in Arizona - <a href="http://t.co/aREET4WTvs">http://t.co/aREET4WTvs</a></p>
&mdash; Anderson Cooper 360&deg; (@AC360) <a href="https://twitter.com/AC360/status/571043395524669440">February 26, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
Review: if Hill was fouled attempting a 2 or 3-pt FG in Q4 of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CLEvIND?src=hash">#CLEvIND</a>. Ruling: Reversed, fouled attempting a 3. <a href="http://t.co/Dyt7ufJJPE">http://t.co/Dyt7ufJJPE</a></p>
&mdash; NBA Official (@NBAOfficial) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAOfficial/status/563884021977853953">February 7, 2015</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
&quot;We survived. And since that day, our voices have grown louder and louder.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nobelprize2014?src=hash">#nobelprize2014</a> <a href="http://t.co/uyRKJ9rEjK">http://t.co/uyRKJ9rEjK</a></p>
&mdash; The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) <a href="https://twitter.com/NobelPrize/status/542674642700206081">December 10, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
HIGHLIGHT: <a href="https://twitter.com/MercerMBB">@MercerMBB</a> with a HUGE 3-point play to extend its lead to five over Duke. (by <a href="https://twitter.com/CokeZero">@CokeZero</a>) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="http://t.co/mvpDLTaVNX">http://t.co/mvpDLTaVNX</a></p>
&mdash; NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) <a href="https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/447074424584286209">March 21, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
HIGHLIGHT: Kentucky ends Wichita State&#39;s perfect season in St. Louis! (by <a href="https://twitter.com/InfinitiUSA">@InfinitiUSA</a>) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarchMadness?src=hash">#MarchMadness</a> <a href="http://t.co/x67Pih3NZQ">http://t.co/x67Pih3NZQ</a></p>
&mdash; NCAA March Madness (@marchmadness) <a href="https://twitter.com/marchmadness/status/447848067312517120">March 23, 2014</a></blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
HALFTIME on CBS: <a href="https://twitter.com/Vol_Hoops">@Vol_Hoops</a> 41 - <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UMass?src=hash">#UMass</a> 22 <a href="http://t.co/0sKleCuNBR">http://t.co/0sKleCuNBR</a></p>
&mdash; March Madness TV (@MarchMadnessTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/MarchMadnessTV/status/447098347309268992">March 21, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>TechnologyAmplifyFacebookMarch MadnessMobileNational Basketball AssociationGarett SloanePresident Barack Obamasecond screenSnapchatSnappyTVSocialsocial videoThe White HouseTwitterTwitterTwitter videoYoutubeWed, 18 Mar 2015 20:07:26 +0000163544 at http://www.adweek.com24 Hours in Advertising: Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/24-hours-advertising-wednesday-jan-28-2015-162569
Katie Richards<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/godaddy-ad-pulled-24-hed-2015.png"> <p>
<img alt="" src="/files/uploads/SPACER-652.gif" style="width: 10px; height: 1px; " /><br />
Here&#39;s everything you need to know about the last 24 hours in advertising, in case you blinked.</p>
<p>
<strong>Buzzing on Adweek:</strong></p>
<p>
<strong>GoDaddy pulls its Super Bowl ad</strong><br />
Less than 24 hours after releasing its Super Bowl ad featuring a lost puppy, GoDaddy announced it would pull the spot amid criticism from dog advocates. <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/godaddy-pulls-super-bowl-ad-after-complaints-about-puppy-mill-humor-162590" target="_blank">(Adweek)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>Mercedes-Benz channels the tortoise and the hare</strong><br />
Mercedes-Benz debuted its Super Bowl spot featuring a fun twist on the classic story of the tortoise and the hare.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/turtle-gets-lift-very-fast-sports-car-mercedes-version-aesops-fable-162557" target="_blank">(Adweek)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>Kim Kardashian mocks herself for T-Mobile</strong><br />
In T-Mobile&#39;s PSA-style Super Bowl spot, Kardashian begs viewers to fight for their unused data so they can stalk her on Instagram whenever they please.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ad-day-kim-kardashian-mocks-herself-perfectly-t-mobiles-super-bowl-ad-162563" target="_blank">(Adweek)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>A chilling domestic violence spot will run on game day</strong><br />
The National Football League will run an extremely powerful spot about domestic violence during the Super Bowl this year, using audio from an actual 911 phone call.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/nfl-will-run-subtle-chilling-super-bowl-ad-against-domestic-violence-162560" target="_blank">(Adweek)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>Newcastle reveals its brand partners</strong><br />
Thirty-seven brands have teamed up with Newcastle for its big &quot;Band of Brands&quot; Super Bowl campaign, and the brand&#39;s latest ad packs all 37 names into one 60-second spot. <a href="http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/newcastle-unveils-its-smorgasbord-super-bowl-ad-featuring-37-different-brands-162567" target="_blank">(Adweek)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>Pierce Brosnan seeks adventure with Kia</strong><br />
Kia&#39;s ad for the Big Game stars a former James Bond star Pierce Brosnan, who expects over-the-top stunts for his Super Bowl spot but is instead treated to something a little calmer.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/pierce-brosnan-drives-whole-different-kind-getaway-car-kias-super-bowl-ad-162578" target="_blank">(Adweek)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>Twitter launches native video with Neil Patrick Harris&nbsp;</strong><br />
Twitter released its very own video platform Tuesday, allowing tweeters to shoot, edit and upload 30-second video clips directly through the Twitter app. <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/twitter-debuts-native-video-neil-patrick-harris-162582" target="_blank">(Adweek)</a></p>
<hr />
<p>
<strong>Around the Web:</strong></p>
<p>
<strong>Lyft&#39;s first national ad campaign</strong><br />
The ride-sharing service Lyft announced plans to kick off its first national advertising campaign this week with radio, digital and outdoor ads. <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-27/lyft-gains-revenue-momentum-plans-first-national-ad-campaign.html" target="_blank">(Bloomberg)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>Cond&eacute; Nast gets journalists to write ads</strong><br />
23 Stories by Cond&eacute; Nast, a new team launched by the publishing company, will have a handful of journalists write ads for its publications, blurring the line between advertising and editorial. <a href="http://www.adweek.com/fishbowlny/conde-nast-journalists-to-create-ads/330084" target="_blank">(Fishbowl NY)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>Facebook says it was not hacked</strong><br />
Both Facebook and Instagram went down Tuesday and although a hacking group called Lizard Squad hinted it was responsible for the outage, Facebook insists it was an internal glitch.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/facebook-instagram-websites-down-10004496.html" target="_blank">(The Independent)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>KFC introduces an intriguing product</strong><br />
The fast food chain released an interesting new product in the Philippines called the Double Down Dog, a hotdog wrapped in a chicken bun, which got plenty of people buzzing about the brand on Twitter and Facebook.&nbsp;<a href="http://mashable.com/2015/01/26/kfc-double-down-dog/" target="_blank">(Mashable)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>Marriott makes plans to buy Delta Hotels</strong><br />
Marriott International announced plans to buy Canadian-based company Delta Hotels and Resorts for a reported $135 million.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/capitalbusiness/marriott-plans-to-buy-canadian-hotel-company-delta-hotels-for-135m/2015/01/27/29ae442a-a637-11e4-a06b-9df2002b86a0_story.html" target="_blank">(Washington Post)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>Global ad spend slows down</strong><br />
London-based advertising and marketing firm Warc predicted global ad spend will grow at a slower rate of just 5.1 percent this year, but will pick up in 2016.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/242537/forecast-global-ad-spend-slows-highest-in-emergi.html" target="_blank">(Media Post)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>Yahoo announces plans to spin off Alibaba</strong><br />
In the company&#39;s quarterly earnings call, Yahoo announced its plans to spin off its remaining stake in Alibaba into a separate company. <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/yahoo-earnings-q4-2014-2015-1" target="_blank">(Business Insider)</a></p>
<hr />
<p>
<strong>Industry Shake-Ups:</strong></p>
<p>
<strong>Mark Read joins Wunderman</strong><br />
Digital leader at WPP Mark Read will join Wunderman as CEO, replacing Daniel Morel, who held the position for 14 years.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/wpp-digital-leader-mark-read-takes-reins-wunderman-162580" target="_blank">(Adweek)</a></p>
<p>
<strong>Moxie shuts its doors in Columbus</strong><br />
The agency&#39;s Columbus, Ohio shop has reportedly shut down after Nationwide made some changes to its creative accounts and shifted Moxie to focus more on its Nascar partnership.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.adweek.com/agencyspy/we-hear-moxie-closes-columbus-ohio-office/79540?utm_content=post1-title&amp;utm_source=agencyspy&amp;utm_medium=newsletter&amp;utm_campaign=dailynewsletter20150127" target="_blank">(Agency Spy)</a></p>
Advertising & BrandingFacebookGoDaddyKfcKiaLyftKatie RichardsMercedes-benzNational Football LeagueNewcastleT-mobileTwitterTue, 27 Jan 2015 23:33:37 +0000162569 at http://www.adweek.comCome Super Bowl Sunday, Will the University of Phoenix Regret Its Naming Rights Deal?http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/come-super-bowl-sunday-will-university-phoenix-regret-its-naming-rights-deal-162455
Robert Klara<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/university-of-phoenix-stadium-exterior-hed-2015.png"> <p>
When the expected 184 million viewers tune in to <a href="http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/49" target="_blank">Super Bowl XLIX</a> on Feb. 1, they&#39;ll see more than just the Seattle Seahawks face off against the New England Patriots&mdash;they&#39;ll see one of the <a href="http://www.universityofphoenixstadium.com/" target="_blank">newest, most technically advanced stadiums</a> in the United States. And just below that stadium&#39;s retractable roof, bolted to its metallic skin, viewers will see a name in huge red letters:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.phoenix.edu/" target="_blank">University of Phoenix</a>.</p>
<p>
You&#39;ve probably heard of the school. It boasts the biggest enrollment of any private college in the country, with some 308,000 students (a 2011 figure from the <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=74" target="_blank">National Center for Education Statistics</a>). People enrolled in courses at the University of Phoenix need not travel to the headquarters in Arizona; most of the instruction takes place via the Web or at one of 130 &quot;learning centers&quot; in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. The school does not have a traditional campus, nor does it have any sports teams. It does, however, have a great deal more money for marketing than many colleges, because the University of Phoenix is a for-profit institution.</p>
<p>
That fact may explain why, in 2006, the school was in a position to part with $155 million to put its name over the stadium door.</p>
<p>
Of course, back then, that deal didn&#39;t raise as many eyebrows as it&#39;s likely to now. Thanks to a period of intense scrutiny that started with a Senate investigation of for-profit colleges that began in 2010, the for-profit educational sector has come under considerable fire in the last four years, both on Capitol Hill and in the media. An array of critics has alleged that schools like the University of Phoenix turn out comparatively few graduates while saddling enrollees with crushing student-loan debt. And that raises a prickly question: Will this high-profile naming-rights deal, one that will bring the University of Phoenix Stadium into millions of American living rooms, backfire as a piece of marketing?</p>
<p>
&quot;I&#39;m sure they&#39;re having anxious moments right now,&quot; speculates Abu Noaman, CEO of academic marketing consultancy <a href="http://www.elliance.com/" target="_blank">Elliance</a>. &quot;They&#39;ve already gotten reprimanded by the Department of Education, saying you&#39;re taking a disproportionately large share of federal aid, not graduating enough students, and [the graduates] aren&#39;t finding the jobs you&#39;re promising them. The question is: Why is [the University of Phoenix] squandering money on a sponsorship instead of serving students and graduating more of them?&quot;</p>
<p>
The school did not respond to Adweek&#39;s requests for an interview, but the University of Phoenix has had no shortage of media attention already. In 2006, it made headlines when it inked the&nbsp;<a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2603052" target="_blank">20-year, $154.5 million naming-rights deal</a> for the Arizona Cardinals&#39; new stadium. &quot;This is the first time a National Football League venue has been named after an educational institution,&quot; said Brian Mueller, then-president of <a href="http://www.apollo.edu/" target="_blank">Apollo Education Group</a>, the publicly traded corporate parent of the University of Phoenix.</p>
<p>
Football fans saw the school&#39;s name on TV during the 2008 Super Bowl, but that was before the federal government started turning up the heat. In 2010, the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor &amp; Pensions, chaired by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), began an extensive <a href="http://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/for_profit_report/ExecutiveSummary.pdf" target="_blank">investigation</a> of the for-profit higher-education industry. Its findings, released in 2012, were particularly <a href="http://www.help.senate.gov/imo/media/for_profit_report/PartII/Apollo.pdf" target="_blank">damning for the University of Phoenix</a>. Harkin&#39;s investigators found that the school derived 88.7 percent of its 2010 revenues from federal student-loan programs, even as it spent nearly three times as much on marketing compared with instruction, while its dropout rate was over 66 percent.</p>
<p>
In October of last year, the Department of Education responded by <a href="http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/obama-administration-announces-final-rules-protect-students-poor-performing-care" target="_blank">cracking down</a> on the for-profit education sector. &quot;Career colleges must be a stepping stone to the middle class,&quot; U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced. &quot;But too many hardworking students find themselves buried in debt with little to show for it.&quot; The new DOE regulations stipulated that a student&#39;s loan debt could not exceed 8 percent of his or her total earnings. Seven days later, the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities, a trade group representing over 1,400 for-profit colleges, <a href="http://www.npr.org/blogs/ed/2014/11/07/362069843/for-profit-colleges-sue-the-federal-government" target="_blank">sued to stop the regulation</a> from taking effect.</p>
<p>
This, then, is the fight that&#39;s been playing out in public, and it comes amid a flurry of media stories on the debatable merits of an online education. (One <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2010/LIVING/09/02/for.profit.college.debt/" target="_blank">CNN</a>&nbsp;headline read: &quot;For-profit college risk: huge debt, questionable degree.&quot;) Noaman wondered whether the university would have gone ahead with the deal in 2006 had it known the bad publicity storm that was coming. And now that it&#39;s here, this might not be a good time to see a nine-figure naming-rights deal splayed across a state-of-the-art sports complex.</p>
<p>
Just ask Rex Whisman, founder and chief strategist of the <a href="http://www.brandedus.net/" target="_blank">BrandED Consultants Group </a>and a veteran marketer who&#39;s consulted for numerous colleges over the years. &quot;When I saw that the University of Phoenix had been granted naming rights to the stadium, it was a bit confusing for me at the time, because we&#39;re used to seeing corporate logos there&hellip;[and] why would a college that has no athletic department be paying $155 million to put their name on a stadium?&quot;</p>
<p>
These days especially, Whisman continued, &quot;most people have a real or perceived concern about the deep pockets of for-profit institutions, thinking they&#39;re only in it for the revenue.&quot; The University of Phoenix is &quot;almost boasting about its profits, saying they&#39;ve got 155 million extra dollars lying around to invest in a stadium.&quot; (Apollo Education Group reported a net income of nearly $205 million for <a href="http://investors.apollo.edu/phoenix.zhtml?c=79624&amp;p=irol-newsArticle&amp;ID=1979700" target="_blank">fiscal year 2014</a>.)</p>
<p>
So what&#39;s likely to happen when nearly half of American households tune in to the Big Game and see the University of Phoenix naming rights deal in high resolution? &quot;There&#39;s going to be <em>some</em> kind of backlash,&quot; Elliance&#39;s Noaman ventured, &quot;but not necessarily from their customers. I think it&#39;ll happen from society at large. It&#39;ll be policymakers who come down hard on them.&quot;</p>
<p>
A few other groups have come down hard already. Three prominent <a href="http://www.studentvetrelief.org" target="_blank">veterans organizations</a> are angry that the school spent so much on a marketing deal when it draws millions of dollars from Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits. &quot;We are asking the American public to tell the University of Phoenix&hellip; to sell back the naming rights and reinvest that money into educating its students,&quot; Matthew Boulay, executive director of the Veterans&#39; Student Loan Relief Fund, said in a statement. The group has launched a <a href="https://www.change.org/p/the-university-of-phoenix-support-students-not-stadiums" target="_blank">petition</a> that will allow the public to do just that.</p>
<p>
Backlash aside, both Whisman and Noaman said the University of Phoenix has an accountability problem that predates the Super Bowl and will almost certainly outlast it: the issue of corporate responsibility, or investing school funds in teachers and classes, not advertising and naming rights. Traditional, nonprofit colleges and universities have &quot;delivered a product, a service and outcomes that are outstanding and built America,&quot; Noaman said. &quot;At this point, for-profits have to prove that they&#39;re building America to the same extent.&quot;</p>
Advertising & Branding2015 Super Bowl2015 Super Bowl adsNaming RightsNational Football LeagueUniversity of PhoenixFri, 23 Jan 2015 13:00:01 +0000162455 at http://www.adweek.comWith Super Bowl XLIX Just Days Away, NFL Brand Perception is Down by Halfhttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/super-bowl-xlix-just-days-away-nfl-brand-perception-down-half-162472
Kristina Monllos<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/seahawks-packers-hed-2015.jpg"> <p>
With just two weeks to Super Bowl XLIX, the National Football League is still reeling from a string of domestic abuse controversies last fall: Consumer perception of the brand is just half of what it was last year, according to YouGov&#39;s BrandIndex.</p>
<p>
&quot;A lot of people were either unhappy with the behavior of individuals [such as players<a href="http://www.adweek.com/topic/ray-rice" target="_blank"> Ray Rice</a> and&nbsp;<a href="http://www.adweek.com/topic/adrian-peterson" target="_blank">Adrian Peterson</a>] that reflected poorly on the NFL or were also disappointed with how the NFL reacted,&quot; said Ted Marzilli, CEO of YouGov&#39;s BrandIndex. Many saw NFL commissioner&nbsp;<a href="http://www.adweek.com/topic/roger-goodell" target="_blank">Roger </a><a href="http://www.adweek.com/topic/roger-goodell" target="_blank">Goodell&#39;s</a>&nbsp;press conference, for example, as lacking substance and dodging important questions.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
To measure consumer perception, YouGov asked 50,000 adults if they heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks through advertising, news or word of mouth, and if that was positive or negative. Their responses were ranked on a buzz scale ranging from -100 to 100, with a zero score being neutral. This time last year, the NFL scored 21 on the buzz scale; now, that has dropped to 12.&nbsp;</p>
<div class="news-article-image" style="float: left;margin: 15px 0px 15px 0px;">
<img src="/files/imagecache/node-detail/football-yougov-chart-01-2015.jpg" /></div>
<p>
After the scandals in October, the NFL ranked an abysmal -40. The brand has been slowly recovering, although many consumers still have strong negative feelings and harbor resentment toward the brand, Marzilli said.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
The NFL still ranks marginally higher than the National Hockey League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball, according to YouGov&#39;s BrandIndex. Though, the NFL&#39;s buzz score is usually two times higher than those leagues during this time of year, when football season is at its peak. Marzilli credits the playoff excitement for the NFL&#39;s partial recovery.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
&quot;It will be interesting to see if the numbers fall back down to that negative territory where they lingered, or if they actually go back to where they were in the off-season last year,&quot; said Marzilli. &quot;One situation would suggest that people are not forgetting or forgiving the NFL. The other would suggest that the&nbsp;Super Bowl could be the watershed moment where people start to forget what happened.&quot; &nbsp;</p>
Advertising & Branding2014 NFL Season2015 NFL SeasonNational Football LeagueNew England PatriotsSeattle SeahawksKristina MonllosThu, 22 Jan 2015 18:30:39 +0000162472 at http://www.adweek.comSporting News Revamps Mobile Ads as Its Audience Shifts to Handheldshttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/sporting-news-revamps-mobile-ads-its-audience-shifts-handhelds-162159
Michelle Castillo<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/microsoft-surface-pro-3-hed-2014.jpg"> <p>
In order to meet the growing business-side demand for mobile advertising, <a href="http://www.sportingnews.com/" target="_blank">Sporting News Media</a>&nbsp;is revamping its offerings to allow for a cross-platform experience. The publisher&#39;s homepage takeovers&mdash;heretofore only seen on the desktop experience&mdash;now appear on its mobile sites as well.</p>
<p>
Microsoft is the first brand to utilize the dynamic offering, dubbed Universal Ad Takeover, running promos for its Surface Pro Tablet. In addition to ads surrounding editorial, Sporting News is pitching mobile-friendly video including geo-targeted game highlights from Major League Baseball and the National Football League.</p>
<p>
&quot;I think brands need to demand more from their media ad sales team on mobile. I think that the basic media executions that we&#39;ve seen on mobile, like <a href="https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/76231?hl=en" target="_blank">[Google] AdSense</a>, they&#39;re just not that great,&quot; Sporting News Media president Rich Routman said.</p>
<p>
Sporting News Media&#39;s mobile investment is largely in part because the majority of its audience is shifting to smartphones and tablets. Forty-two percent of its readership consumes content on a mobile device, according to its 2014 U.S. Know the Fan Report. It&#39;s twice as much as the 21 percent reported in 2011. ComScore also previously discovered that while desktop traffic for sports publications was declining, <a href="http://adweek.com/news/technology/football-fans-are-going-even-bigger-toward-mobile-you-probably-think-161475" target="_blank">mobile usage was increasing</a>. Sporting News Media saw a 247 percent increase in mobile traffic year-over-year this past October, per comScore.</p>
<p>
&quot;People have grown accustomed to accessing media on any screen at any time, and content owners have met the demand,&quot; said eMarketer senior analyst Paul Verna. &quot;Also, smartphones, tablets and compression and streaming technologies continue to improve, enhancing the mobile video experience. This has had a particularly positive effect on sports video, which relies on uninterrupted, high-quality streaming.&quot;</p>
<p>
Verna explained that even niche sports&mdash;such as soccer in the U.S.&mdash;are reaching wider audiences thanks to online platforms. <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/fantasy-football-s-mobile-growth-pushes-sports-publishers-revamp-apps-159138" target="_blank">The growth of fantasy sports</a> has also led to the digital revolution. In addition, Verna pointed out that that athletic events are a &quot;live phenomenon,&quot; and viewers want to see real-time stats with whatever medium is nearby. Now, that&#39;s usually a smartphone, table or computer.</p>
<p>
The analyst added that brands are taking advantage of this trend, to the point where most digital sports video is ad supported, even when it&#39;s behind a paywall like MLB&#39;s At Bat app. Authentication-based streaming is also growing in popularity, with ESPN and NBC Sports videos carrying branded banners and video ads.</p>
<p>
&quot;While we don&#39;t have access to metrics that specifically track ad spending on digital sports sites/apps, the amount of content and time spent on those properties is growing significantly, as is mobile streaming in general,&quot; Verna said. &quot;With these trends in full swing, advertisers that already support sports content on TV, radio and live events are naturally inclined to extend their presence to digital platforms, if they haven&#39;t already done so.&quot;</p>
TechnologyThe PressMlbMobilemobile adsNational Football LeagueMichelle CastilloOnlineSporting News MediaSportsMon, 05 Jan 2015 22:18:49 +0000162159 at http://www.adweek.comDespite Domestic Abuse Scandal, The Baltimore Ravens Were a Hot Ticket for Women in '14http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/despite-domestic-abuse-scandal-baltimore-ravens-were-hot-ticket-women-14-162040
Michelle Castillo<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/ray-rice-hed-02-2014_0.jpg"> <p>
Men and women truly have different tastes even when it comes to sports teams. According to data from ticket resale service from <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/stubhub-gooses-its-digital-content-katy-perry-concert-prank-video-161609" target="_blank">StubHub</a>, the top purchased team tickets by women were for the Boston Bruins, Baltimore Ravens, Oklahoma City Thunder, Florida State Seminoles and the San Francisco Giants.</p>
<p>
The Ravens appearing so highly on the women&#39;s list was interesting, considering that the team has been plagued by domestic violence issues surrounding its former star running back <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/ray-rices-last-sponsor-nike-has-dropped-him-160005" target="_blank">Ray Rice</a>. &quot;Despite the fact that Baltimore had a lot of controversy around it, there were still a lot of women supporting the team,&quot; commented StubHub lead rep Glenn Lehrman.</p>
<p>
The top StubHub sports ticket sales for men were completely different. They bought Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, boxing tickets, New York Red Bulls and New York Islanders tickets most often.</p>
<p>
The ticket resale service pulled 2014 sports ticket sales data to unearth trends. While the most popular home teams were the usual suspects&mdash;San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Dallas Cowboys, in that order&mdash;the New York Knicks managed to squeeze into fifth place, surprising considering the horrible season they are having so far. The most-sold sporting events this year were fairly predictable as well: the Super Bowl (which was the highest selling Super Bowl in the service&#39;s history); the World Series; the Stanley Cup; the Belmont Stakes; and, Derek Jeter&#39;s last game at Yankee stadium, which became the highest selling regular season MLB ever for the company.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
It was also discovered that favorite entertainment activities may be a generational thing. While millennials bought more tickets for NBA games compared to other events, Gen X headed to concerts while Baby Boomers opted for Major League Baseball outings.</p>
<p>
In addition, StubHub conducted a separate contest and survey asking users what their most wished for tickets were during this holiday season using the hashtag #tixwish. The most-desired tickets were for the L.A. Lakers, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers, Texas Rangers, Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Red Wings.</p>
<p>
Lehrman had a few bold predictions for 2015. He believes the first college football playoff in history, which takes place in early January, could unseat StubHub&#39;s current record holder for most tickets sold for a single event, regardless of type&mdash;especially if Alabama and Oregon make it to the finals, he said. (The four-team playoff also involves Florida State and Ohio State.)</p>
<p>
In addition, he thinks Cleveland Cavaliers tickets will sell at high prices next year. Since LeBron James rejoined the team, ticket sales have gone up 1000 percent year-over-year.</p>
<p>
&quot;What you saw in Miami is that (overall) it tends to be an apathetic market no matter how good the team is. Fans just don&#39;t attend the games,&quot; he said. &quot;They&#39;d rather go to the beach. Now that LeBron is in back, I think Cleveland will be in the top two or three in sales in 2015.&quot;</p>
TechnologyBaltimore RavensBoston BruinsMiami MarlinsMlbNational Football LeagueMichelle CastilloNhlOnlineStubHubToronto Blue JaysTue, 23 Dec 2014 18:40:29 +0000162040 at http://www.adweek.comRichard Sherman Blasts NFL Sponsorship, Media Policies With An Insane Press Conferencehttp://www.adweek.com/news/advertising-branding/richard-sherman-blasts-nfl-sponsorship-policies-insane-press-conference-161688
Michelle Castillo<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/richard-sherman-baldwin-hed-2014.jpg"> <p>
Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch may not have much to say to the press, but his teammates Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin sure do. They held a bizarre press conference Tuesday night to make fun of the NFL&#39;s media policies, which have hurt Lynch and gotten other players in trouble, especially when they talk about brands other than league sponsors.</p>
<p>
Sherman and a cardboard cutout Baldwin (propped up and voiced by Baldwin himself) appeared at the weekly press conference. The duo&nbsp;<a href="http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/laces-out/watch-richard-sherman-uses-cardboard-cutout-to-send-nfl-a-message-112514" target="_blank">performed a skit lampooning the NFL</a> for forcing players to speak to the press, but then limiting what they say about non-sponsor brands. Satirically name-dropping sponsors like Martinelli&#39;s, Subway and Campbell&#39;s Soup, the players accused the league of forcing them to act as mouthpieces without paying them, and then restricting the athletes from promoting the brands they have side deals with outside the NFL.</p>
<p>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/tLbv4_TpsL8?rel=0" width="652"></iframe></p>
<p>
&quot;It&#39;s fun to use your time in the NFL for something you care about, right? Then you don&#39;t get fined $100,000. You don&#39;t get fined at all for this. This is how they want us to talk. This is what they want us to do. They want us to advertise, right, Doug?&quot; Sherman joked.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">
<p>
Took <a href="https://twitter.com/DougBaldwinJr">@DougBaldwinJr</a>&#39;s dinner advice and got a <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Subway?src=hash">#Subway</a> melt, and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Martinellis?src=hash">#Martinellis</a> cider to go with a tomato <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CampbellSoup?src=hash">#CampbellSoup</a> <a href="http://t.co/BdCAJwDqvS">pic.twitter.com/BdCAJwDqvS</a></p>
&mdash; Seattle Sea-Cats (@Meowshawn_Lynch) <a href="https://twitter.com/Meowshawn_Lynch/status/537440073252237313">November 26, 2014</a></blockquote>
<p>
The biting press conference was staged in protest of Lynch&#39;s $100,000 fine issued by the NFL for failure to fulfill his obligations of speaking to the media. (The running back left the locker room without talking to the press, but called two NFL Network reporters to talk.) Lynch retorted by making himself available after last week&#39;s game against the Arizona Cardinals&mdash;<a href="http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2014/11/23/7273147/marshawn-lynch-interview-1-word-answers-seahawks-cardinals" target="_blank">but then brilliantly responded in one-word quips</a>.</p>
<p>
Sherman&#39;s diatribe also was in response to multiple incidents pitting players against the NFL and its sponsors. Recently, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11671032/colin-kaepernick-san-francisco-49ers-fined-10k-beats-dre-headphones" target="_blank"> was fined $10,000 for wearing pink Beats by Dre headphones</a> during a press conference. (The league is sponsored by rival Bose.) Kaepernick, who is sponsored by Beats, claimed that he wore the headphones in order to promote breast cancer awareness. He did not say whether Beats paid the fine on his behalf. In addition, players are supposed to use the Microsoft Pro Surface tablets&mdash;or as Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler calls them <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/14/6978559/bears-quarterback-jay-cutler-calls-surface-pro-3-a-knockoff-ipad" target="_blank">&quot;knockoff iPads&quot;</a>&mdash;due to a $400 million sponsorship deal with the tech company. The athletes don&#39;t seem to be fans, especially since the devices keep dying, <a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/tablets-too-complex-for-nfls-old-folks-1411500610" target="_blank">The Wall Street Journal</a> reported.</p>
<p>
As <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11938662/richard-sherman-doug-baldwin-use-parody-spoof-criticize-nfl-fine-seattle-seahawks-teammate-marshawn-lynch" target="_blank">ESPN</a> pointed out, countering Sherman&#39;s argument, the players do benefit from NFL sponsorship deals. Athletes get 45 percent of the money generated from the agreements, which are added to the salary cap. So, while Sherman and Baldwin should have the right to argue things they feel are wrong without getting penalized, it&#39;s not like they&#39;re going home empty-handed after chatting with journalists.&nbsp;</p>
Advertising & Branding2014 NFL SeasonBeats by DreDoug BaldwinMarshawn LynchNational Football LeagueMichelle CastilloSeattle SeahawksWed, 26 Nov 2014 19:08:15 +0000161688 at http://www.adweek.comMicrosoft's Marketing Totally Backfired When CNN Used Its Devices as iPad Standshttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/microsofts-marketing-totally-backfired-when-cnn-used-its-devices-ipad-stands-161244
Garett Sloane<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/cnn-election-microsoft-hed-2014.jpg"> <p>
Microsoft&#39;s Surface Pro 3 had a bad election night on CNN when the on-air talent used the device to prop up their iPads. Microsoft was a CNN partner as the results poured in, but any positive marketing spin thoroughly backfired, with the tablet relegated to a kickstand for its biggest rival.</p>
<p>
The journalists calling election results mostly tapped away on their personal iPads while the Surface Pro gadgets sat idly by, <a href="http://gizmodo.com/cnn-discovers-promotional-surface-pro-3s-make-fantastic-1654939705" target="_blank">Gizmodo noted</a>. Microsoft was tied into election night coverage by powering some of the action through the Bing search engine and Internet Explorer. The Surface Pros were used to feed information from CNN&#39;s &quot;Magic Wall&quot; to the journalists.</p>
<p>
The Surface Pro is a hybrid device that is part tablet, part laptop, but it has had a tough time gaining market share. Still, Microsoft said last month that sales doubled to <a href="http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2014/10/29/why-microsofts-surface-pro-3-sales-soared-as-apple.aspx" target="_blank">$900 million for the quarter. The iPad raked in $5.3 billion</a> during that same time.</p>
<p>
Microsoft has made some bold marketing moves with the Surface, so it&#39;s scratched and fought for every sale. The device is the official tablet on the sidelines of NFL games, thanks to a <a href="http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/8/6120643/microsoft-surface-at-nfl-games-described-as-ipad-like" target="_blank">reported $400 million marketing deal.</a> It&#39;s also the <a href="http://www.windowscentral.com/microsofts-latest-walking-dead-tv-ad-prepares-zombie-party-surface-pro-3" target="_blank">official tablet of the zombie apocalypse.</a> And it&#39;s been blatantly product-placed in too many shows to count, with varying degrees of success.</p>
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Here is just a sampling of the Surface Pro&#39;s TV cameos:</p>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="489" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/gyRZ03SFB68?rel=0" width="652"></iframe></p>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rH21WrjXBBw?rel=0" width="652"></iframe></p>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qyaHar9F8QY?rel=0" width="652"></iframe></p>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="367" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/GsiXfW75598?rel=0" width="652"></iframe></p>
Advertising & BrandingTechnologyTelevisionMarketing2014 NFL SeasonCableGarett SloaneElectionElementaryIpadMicrosoftmicrosoft advertisingMicrosoft SurfaceMicrosoft’s SurfaceMid-Term ElectionsMobileNational Football LeagueNewsProduct PlacementSurface tabletTabletsPoliticsWed, 05 Nov 2014 19:26:03 +0000161244 at http://www.adweek.comBuffalo Bills Combine Social Media and Fantasy Football to Find New Fanshttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/buffalo-bills-combine-social-media-and-fantasy-football-find-new-fans-160958
Michelle Castillo<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/buffalo-bills-01-2014.jpg"> <p>
In early October, the Buffalo Bills and Independent Health <a href="http://www.buffalobills.com/photos/photo-gallery/Health-and-Wellness-Challenge-Launch/e92b2469-8240-471c-92cb-e8fb27d48f1d" target="_blank">issued a six-week competitive diet and exercise challenge</a> for the football team&#39;s fans. Housed on <a href="http://bills.sparkpeople.com/myspark/register_bills.asp" target="_blank">a custom SparkPeople website</a>, the contest home lets people monitor their results, connects them with others online who were participating and helps them get information with experts. Videos featuring star Bills players acted as extra motivation, and prizes ranged from a <a href="http://espn.go.com/nfl/player/_/id/10195/fred-jackson" target="_blank">Fred Jackson</a> autographed helmet to an all-expenses paid trip for two to the Super Bowl.</p>
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Perhaps what was most interesting about the campaign is that you didn&#39;t have to live in the Buffalo area to participate. While the campaign is focused on the Buffalo community, promotion for the campaign wasn&#39;t geotargeted to that area. The contest was open to all Bills fans, regardless of where they live&mdash;and <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/fantasy-football-s-mobile-growth-pushes-sports-publishers-revamp-apps-159138" target="_blank">thanks to the growth of fantasy football</a>, that fan base now spans more of the U.S. than ever before.&nbsp;</p>
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&quot;Fans in Western New York used to have one favorite team,&quot; Buffalo Bills cmo Marc Honan explained. &quot;Now they have three favorite teams: Their team and their two fantasy teams.&quot;</p>
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Instead of just focusing on a local demographic, the Buffalo Bills now have an opportunity to attract fans across the country due to digital marketing and the ubiquity of social media. When Honan joined the organization in 1997, being active online for an NFL team meant having a website. But, as the Bills enter a new era <a href="http://grantland.com/the-triangle/whos-that-guy-new-buffalo-bills-owner-terry-pegula/" target="_blank">with owner Terry Pegula</a>, times have changed. NFL teams have to be active on multiple platforms, not just for delivering information but engaging fans.</p>
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Honan said that the Bills have always been digitally minded. It was the first team to create a fantasy football league among season ticket holders three years ago, something that has become a league-wide initiative.</p>
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And, as fantasy football players outside of Buffalo began to add Sammy Watkins or Kyle Orton to their starting lineups, it&#39;s using online means to connect with them. Its free mobile app, Buffalo Bills Touch, delivers a second-screen experience where users can connect with others through various social media platforms and see up-to-date stats. It includes the digital Bills Fan Playbook, which provides a game preview, a countdown clock, an animated depth chart and opponent info&mdash;all relevant information for fantasy football players. The team also creates original video content, like the Wired For Sounds clips, where at least one player a week is miked up so fans can hear what they are talking about on the field.</p>
<p>
&quot;There&#39;s a lot of different avenues to get news about the NFL and Buffalo Bills, but we&#39;re the one source [where] you can get behind-the-scenes information you can&#39;t get anywhere else,&quot; Honan&nbsp;explained.</p>
Advertising & BrandingTechnology2014 NFL SeasonBuffalo BillsFantasy FootballfootballMichelle CastilloOnlineSpark PeopleFri, 24 Oct 2014 11:00:02 +0000160958 at http://www.adweek.comKaty Perry to Play Super Bowl Halftime Showhttp://www.adweek.com/news/television/katy-perry-play-super-bowl-halftime-show-160700
Erik Oster<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/katy-perry-pepsi-hed-2013_0.jpg"> <p>
According to multiple sources, the National Football League has chosen Katy Perry to perform at the Super Bowl XLIX Halftime Show on February 1, 2015.</p>
<p>
The Wall Street Journal <a href="http://online.wsj.com/articles/nfl-to-coldplay-pay-to-play-the-super-bowl-1408465018" target="_blank">reported in August</a> that Perry was in the running for the gig, alongside Coldplay and Rihanna. That publication also reported that, while the NFL typically doesn&#39;t pay artists for the performance (although they do cover production costs), the league was asking contenders for financial contributions in return for the exposure generated by the performance.</p>
<p>
The Super Bowl Halftime Show has become perhaps the most sought-after performance in the music industry for its unparalleled exposure. Last year, more people tuned in for Bruno Mars and the Red Hot Chili Peppers&#39; Halftime performance than the actual Super Bowl game&mdash;115 million viewers, compared to the 112 who watched the Seahawks take on the Broncos. Artists propositioned by the NFL were chilly to the &quot;pay to play&quot; offer, however, with Perry saying during <a href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/watch-katy-perry-hurl-corn-dogs-obsess-over-qb-in-bizarre-college-gameday-visit-20141004" target="_blank">ESPN&#39;s College Game Day last Saturday</a>, &quot;We have had some conversations, and I would be honored, of course. But I have let them know that I&#39;m not the kind of girl who would pay to play the Super Bowl. The ball is in their field.&quot;</p>
<p>
It appears that either Perry or the NFL reconsidered their side of the negotiations. While artists typically benefit from the performance in the form of exposure (in recent years both Beyonce and Bruno Mars announced tours following the performance) and increased CD and download sales, the league benefits as well. The show draws in viewers otherwise not interested in watching the Super Bowl, as evidenced by the spike in halftime viewers over the actual game in 2014. For a league struggling with a public image problem (<a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/cover-girl-ad-gets-photoshopped-acutely-strong-nfl-protest-meme-160147" target="_blank">especially with women</a>), that&#39;s no small feat.</p>
Television2015 Super BowlBeyonceBruno MarsKaty PerryNational Football LeagueErik OsterRed Hot Chili PeppersSportsSuper BowlSuper Bowl XLIXFri, 10 Oct 2014 17:47:40 +0000160700 at http://www.adweek.comMobile NFL Fans Share via Facebook Far More Than Twitterhttp://www.adweek.com/news/technology/mobile-nfl-fans-share-facebook-far-more-twitter-160627
Christopher Heine<img src="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-detail/news_article/nfl-logo-grass-hed-2014_2.jpg"> <p>
According to research being unveiled by RadiumOne today, 91 percent of the self-identified 1,501 NFL fans it surveyed online said they check their smartphone on game days (Sunday, Monday or Thursday). Given the <a href="http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/74-packers-seahawks-google-searches-came-smartphones-160062" target="_blank">other recent stats</a> on mobile and football legions, that number isn&#39;t shocking.</p>
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But here&#39;s what&#39;s more interesting: Mobile NFL fans are more likely to share content on Facebook than Twitter at a 6-1 clip, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RadiumOne" target="_blank">RadiumOne</a> says.</p>
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Below are interesting numbers from the San Francisco-based digital advertising company&#39;s new data.</p>
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Among those who share content on their mobile phone, 51 percent use Facebook, followed by text (26 percent), email (11 percent), Twitter (8 percent), YouTube (2 percent) and Instagram (2 percent).</li>
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51 percent check their mobile device between five and 15 times on game days for relevant info.</li>
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77 percent of fans have at least two NFL-friendly apps such as ESPN or Yahoo downloaded.</li>
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In addition to keeping track of scores and player stats, fans use their iPhones and Androids during games to text (54 percent), use social media (41 percent), email (33 percent) and buy NFL merchandise (7 percent).</li>
</ul>
<p>
The above percentage totals at times exceed 100 percent since RadiumOne&#39;s respondents could offer multiple answers on some questions.</p>
TechnologyFacebookGoogleInstagramMobilemobile marketingChristopher HeineNflRadiumOneSmartphonesSocial MediaTextingTwitterYoutubeWed, 08 Oct 2014 11:04:01 +0000160627 at http://www.adweek.com